Taming the Evil Saintess

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The Demon King’s army members had different personalities, so it couldn’t be said they had a good relationship.

However, since they shared a common goal, there was no outright hostility. There was a camaraderie of sorts among them.

Supplying materials and supporting troops to the forward base was also an implicit agreement among the Demon King’s officials.

That had been the case until recently.

“It’s the worst. So, they’re eating each other, huh?”

“That’s right.”

“What’s the number? How many are left?”

“Less than 20%.”

At the report from the lieutenant, Plague Lord Vermina twisted her pale face.

The Demon King’s castle, where Chimera Sorcerer Idmien and One-Eyed Knight Geldmier were stationed.

The vast amount of supplies that were supposed to be delivered there had been cut off for the ridiculous reason of a dragon.

Of course, the demons could self-sustain food in the Erosion Zone, but the monsters under their command were a different story. For monsters that lived purely by instinct without reason, hunger was akin to death. They were even resorting to cannibalism to survive.

“That sly bastard Idmien, isn’t his excuse just some dragon nonsense?”

Vermina mumbled gruffly, but she also knew that the current situation was no lie.

The reason was simple.

The human bastion nearby.

There was the continent’s mightiest creature boldly flaunting its strength.

“A Black Dragon, huh… To think I’d see two of them in my lifetime. Guess I’m in for a long haul.”

As soon as she saw the Black Dragon, Vermina decided to hold her complaints.

Having witnessed the Black Dragon firsthand made disbelief impossible.

In fact, pure curiosity began to rise.

“What does it have to do with the ones rampaging in the Demon King’s castle?”

No matter what.

Whether there is a dragon or not, the fact remains that the hero’s party is currently pressing their swords right before Vermina.

She smirked and turned her gaze towards the lieutenant who had been beside her until now.

“Aaron, did you convey the message clearly?”

Imperial Knight Aaron, or rather now a knight of the Demon King’s army, beamed as he revealed his bare hands without gloves.

“Yes. They definitely understood.”

“Uh-huh. Throwing down the gauntlet. Isn’t that what knights call it? Quite unnecessarily noble, isn’t it?”

“Yes. As the Empress said, it’s unnecessary pride and stubbornness. It’s bound to be nauseating.”

Aaron nodded in agreement.

Breaking the entrance way was an idea put forth by Aaron, who had become Plague Lord Vermina’s loyal subordinate.

“If he’s a Sword Saint, he’ll definitely want to find a way to get into the fortress to meet me.”

“All we have to do is wait.”

No matter how much one may talk about Vermina, defeating heroes and a saint all at once was a distant prospect.

However, Vermina’s forte wasn’t in direct confrontation. The title “Plague Lord” wasn’t given lightly.

“Aaron, do you know?”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m an elf after all. I used to live in the Great Forest, you know? Well, that was hundreds of years ago.”

“You mentioned that before.”

“Right. Do you know what the Ear Demons of the Great Forest excel at?”

“What is that?”

“Guerrilla warfare.”

With a sly smile, Vermina waved her hand.

Poison dripped from her fingertips.

As it touched the ground, the earth began to dissolve into darkness, causing Aaron to frown.

“The hero and all, my poison will have them beat.”

“…”

“Before they even get up the fortress, they better be prepared to lose a limb or two. The Sword Saint you’re so obsessed with is no exception.”

“Got it.”

“Even if they’re a Possessor.”

Although it was a comment laced with confidence, Aaron couldn’t find words to refute it.

In reality, the fear of Plague Lord Vermina was well-known even within the Demon King’s army.

“Moreover.”

Vermina continued speaking.

“We have a Possessor amongst us too, don’t we?”

At her devious grin while looking at Aaron, he could only respond with a bitter smile.

“Ah, so what did the scouts report?”

“What about their situation?”

“Right. That.”

After a moment of thought, Aaron sighed.

“They’re hitting it.”

“Hitting what?”

“The dragon.”

“…The dragon? Who?”

“The hero.”

Vermina blinked several times.

“…Huh?”

*

Ophelia considered herself quite adaptable to her given environment.

However, the daily life at the Erosion Zone, that forward base, was uncomfortable to the point of being unbearable.

“Hey! Didn’t I tell you not to hit Blackie?”

Only hours ago, she had snapped at Elliot, who was preparing to educate Blackie, who frequently got into trouble.

He pointed to supplies that were rendered useless, devoured by Blackie, looking aggrieved.

“Kids grow by causing trouble!”

“Then why is it still a kid?”

“You have no idea!”

“Sure. I’m sorry.”

“You shouldn’t be apologizing to me; you should apologize to Blackie!”

“…”

“Damn! You’re the dad!”

“Then why am I the dad of this brat…”

After barely convincing Elliot, she managed to eat a late breakfast, and the sun was already about to set in the western sky.

The days in the Erosion Zone were annoyingly short, while the nights were long. The weather was painfully cold, and it was dirtily gloomy. With not a single breeze, taking a breath was laborious.

Looking around, everything was a gray haze.

What a perfect environment for depression, isn’t it?

“It sucks.”

In the end, Ophelia exploded after barely a week.

She overturned the bowl of soup that was served for breakfast and spat at Gale’s face. She vented her frustration on Blackie and whined to Elliot.

Eventually, by being cradled by Elliot and force-fed his homemade soup, her rage subsided.

“Ophelia really is a little brat.”

“I’ll kill you.”

The turning point in Ophelia’s daily life came that afternoon, just as the sun was setting.

“Yah-ho! I did it!”

Emily Barried shouted with a wide smile from her tent.

Having locked herself away for nearly a week, focused solely on alchemy, she finally completed her potion-making endeavor.

“What did you complete?”

Of course, Ophelia was filled with curiosity.

Emily was one of the closest people to her after Elliot, making her a much-needed source of stimulation in this dull life.

“Hehehe. I bet the Saint Lady is curious too, right?”

In response to Ophelia’s eager question, Emily displayed her signature sly smile while shaking a small vial in her hand.

“This!”

“So, what is that?”

“A potion.”

“…A potion?”

“Love Potion.”

At Emily’s whispered words, Ophelia’s eyes widened.

She had heard of it.

The Love Potion.

From a fairy tale in the Cathedral of the Saint.

“If it’s a Love Potion… then if I drink it, I’ll fall in love?”

“That’s right! You catch on quickly!”

Naturally, Ophelia gulped.

No matter how foolish Emily Barried might be, her magical knowledge and talent were no exaggeration.

If she claimed to have made a Love Potion, it must undeniably be real.

“So, um, why did you make it?”

“Of course, it’s for the Saint Lady to use.”

“Me…?”

“Yes. Because I felt so sorry for you, I prepared this to help you.”

Emily handed over the vial containing the Love Potion with a theatrical expression, reminiscent of a melodramatic actress.

Hearing those words about the Love Potion, Ophelia couldn’t help but accept it. She took the vial and examined it closely.

The translucent golden liquid sloshed inside. It simply looked like honey.

“Why are you giving this to me?”

“Because it’s meant for you to give to the hero.”

“What? What?!”

“Just one sip and he’ll be all over you!”

Emily giggled, and Ophelia jumped, shaking her fist at her throat to silence her.

After a moment of coughing, Emily raised her hands in surrender as though she expected it.

“Ow, you have a strong hand. But you know, everyone in town knows the Saint Lady has feelings for the hero.”

“You… you vile woman, if you say another word, I’ll pull out your tongue.”

“Your face is way too red for saying something like that.”

“Ugh….”

Ophelia clutched her cheeks, and seeing her like that, Emily’s grin grew wider.

“See? I know everything. It’s been that way since we were at the Cathedral.”

“Hey! It’s not that bad!”

Despite fervently denying it, Ophelia’s blush made her words seem feeble.

“I’m just trying to give the hesitant Saint Lady a little push.”

“You made this just for that reason?”

“Is that not a significant reason? The power of love is immense.”

“Stop calling it love!”

Not fully denying it, Ophelia raised her fist.

Yet she couldn’t help but finally ask.

“So, is it really…?”

“What?”

“Is this really a… Love Potion?”

“Of course it is.”

Emily confidently nodded her head with assurance.

Ophelia carefully tucked the vial away and inquired.

“So… what exactly does it do? Will it just make someone fall in love? Then that’s some kind of mental manipulation.”

“It’s hard to make a potion of that level. It would need to be on an Elixir level. There’s probably no alchemist on the continent currently capable of making an Elixir.”

“So what you made is…?”

“Curious?”

“Of course.”

“Could you bring your ear closer?”

Emily gestured, and Ophelia leaned in.

“That’s an aphrodisiac.”

“Aphrodisiac? What’s that?”

“To put it simply….”

Emily continued with a voice laced with mischief.

“It’s an arousal potion.”

“An arousal… potion?”

“Exactly!”

Ophelia’s face turned beet red.

“Hey, hey! You said it was a Love Potion!”

“Well, everything starts from love in the body!”

“…Wha-What do you mean?”

As she insisted earnestly, Ophelia shrank back, crossing her fingers in front of her chest.

“Ah, no! Everything must be taken slowly….”

“Hey, if you keep waiting, someone will snatch him away!”

“Snatch? Who would…?”

“Why, Elliot of course. Haven’t you seen? There are already several women around the hero! And now you even have a country bumpkin cat added to the mix!”

Surely, she was referring to Yudiel.

In fact, even Ophelia couldn’t deny that she had a simple charm.

Given the anxiety that had surfaced on her face, Emily smiled mischievously.

“Do you know what it takes to secure a man for yourself?”

“What do you mean?”

“Take him down and claim him. Then establish the fact.”

In the next moment, Ophelia’s mind went completely blank.